Machinery for splitting cane or like material.



B. SMITH. MACHINERY FOR SPLIT'IING CANE 0R LIKE MATERIAL. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 29, 1913.

1,098,987, Patented June 2,1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

COLUMBIA PLANQGRAPM cm. WASHINGTON. D. C.

B. SMITH. MACHINERY FOR SPLITTING CANE 0R LIKE MATERIAL.

APPLICATION IILED MAR. 29, 1913.

' Patented June 2, 1914 ccununm PLANOGRAPN conwasflmaTow. n.

.ED STA FFIGE.

RICHMOND SMITH, 0F BIRKENI-IEAD, ENGLAND.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 2, 1914;.

Application filed March 29, 1913. Serial No. 757,699.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that T, ItiorrMoNn SMI'lI-I, a subject of the King of England, residing at 12 James street, Glaughton, Birkenhead,

in the county of Chester, England, have invented new and useful Improvements in or Connected with Machinery for Splitting Cane or like Material, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has reference to machines for splitting cane, such as that generally named ratan cane, or material of an analogous nature capable of being split or riven longitudinally; and the primary object of the invention is to obtain from such canes or rods, strips, and in the case of canes, outer strips of uniform width and thickness, and also in some cases a core of uniform circular or other section.

For convenience of description, the material to be operated upon or split, will be assumed to be rat an cane.

The cane is passed between a pair of feeding or moving rollers or sets of rollers and fed forward, and at the same time split at four or other number of points, as required, by cutters; and after being so cut or split, the cane is operated on by a stationary tool placed in the path of the cane, and so operated upon that the strips are spread apart, and the inner part or core passes through a hole in the tool carrier; and is delivered at the farther end of it. The feeding rollers are driven by gearing, and are pressed on to one another or toward one another by springs, and by the pressure of the rollerswhich are grooved-on the opposite sides of the cane, it is fed forward in the manner described.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation in section, and Fig. 2 a plan showing the machine; and Figs. 3 and 4 are longitudinal section and end View respectively, of a portion of the machine. Fig. 5 shows a modified arrangement of the machine in diagram.

In the arrangement of the machine illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4, there are two pairs of grooved cutting or splitting tools, 1 and 2; the axes of the two pairs being at right angles to one another. The tools consist of grooved rollers, in the lower part and cen ter of which the edges of the cutting blades lie; and in the case shown, the blades 3 each consist of a wheel cutter mounted on the pin 1 which supports the rollers 1, 2; and the wheels are made in halves as shown, the blade coming between the two halves, and its edge projecting-above the normal bottom of the groove. These grooved roller tools 1, and 2, are supported by jaw carriers 5, which are fixed in and are carried from brackets 6, securedto the main frames or brackets 7 of the machine; and are normally held in position or pressed toward one another, by springs 8; the inward po sition of each being limited by the nuts 9 on the back end of the spindles of these carriers. By this means, the rollers can be pressed apart more or less by the canes which they are operating upon, so that they are adapted to take and perform their action or function upon the canes of different diameters or sizes, and the required elastic pressure of the tools into the canes is provided.

The main cane feeding or moving rollers, of which there are a pair, are marked 10; and their axles 11 are carried in bearings 12, of which those of the upper shaft are adapted to move up and down in the main frames 7, and are normally pressed down toward the lower roller by the springs 18. The upper roller 10 is thus pressed down by spring pressure toward the lower roller 10 and is free to move and keep a constant pressure and grip on the cane.

At the front end of the machine, there is a guide bracket 15 having an aperture through it, through which the canes are introduced in. the machine; and directly beyond the second pair of splitting rollers 2, the stationary separating or dividing tool 16, is provided. This tool is placed in the path of the cane, and loosely supported in a carrier bracket 18, having four holes 19 through it, through which the split cane strips pass.

The separating tool proper 16 consists of a hollow stationary cylindrical chisel, having an annular beveled sharpened edge; and it is adjustable in its carrier bracket 18, the latter having a longitudinal bore which is partially threaded at its outer end, and beyond the threaded portion the boreis smooth. The tool 16 fits in the smooth portion of the bore and projects beyond the bracket and a hollow screw engages the threads and abuts against the end of the tool and is locked in position by a locking nut 20. The outer end of the threaded portion of the tool is enlarged and is provided with a perfora- 7 is set closely up to the knife 3 of the second 7 pair of rollers 2, as shown in the drawings.

In action, the canes to be operated upon are entered through the guide 15, and the first roller tools 1, and passed to the grooved feeding rollers 10 by which they are moved through the machine. In passing through the tools 1, they will be split in the vertical plane, at the top and bottom; and as they pass through the second pair of roller tools 2, the outer part of the cane will be out or split at each side in a plane at right angles to the plane in which they were cut by the first set of tools, that is, at each side, so that they will be cut at four points removed 90 from one another. Immediately on passing through the second pair of cutters 2, the end of the cane will be pressed against the annular edge of the tool 16, which will be of less diameter than the full diameter of the cane, and of such size that the thickness of the outside strips to be split off as required, will be afiected. Thus this tool will be split off the outer parts which are divided by cuts in them produced by the cutters 3 of the pairs of roller tools 1 and 2; and these split off strips will pass up the annular beveled nose of the tool '16, and en ter and pass through the four holes 19 in the carrier 18, from the back end of which they will be delivered from the machine. then the cane passes through the hollow tool 16 it forces the latter up against the inner end of the hollow screw, the latter serving as an abutment and limits the adjustment of said tool.

In the modified arrangement shown in Fig. 5, the cane to be operated upon is introduced directly into the grooved feeding rollers 10 and the slits or cuts are effected at four points, on the delivery side of these rollers 10, by the two aairs of wheel cutters 3 arranged at right angles to each other, and with all their axes in the same plane; and immediately in front of the annular edge of the separating tool 16. In this case also, a guide, similar to 15 shown in Fig. 1, will be used immediately in front of the moving rollers 10.

It is of course, well known that machines for cutting various materialsincluding wood-ha ve had employed in them, feeding grooved rollers and cutters; and also that in wood cut-ting or working machines roller or wheel cutters (or tools) arranged at different angles, and annular chisels or cutting tools, have per 86 been used, and therefore no claim generally to such features is made hereunder.

Iaving now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is 1. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a frame, feeding means mounted in the frame, means mounted in the frame for severing the outer part of the cane along different longitudinal lines, a support in rear of the severing means, said hollow support having a central longitudinal partially threaded bore, a hollow sharpened tool fitted in one end of the bore, and a hollow screw engaging the threaded portion of the bore and bearing against one end of the tool.

2. In a machine of the class described, the combination of means for severing cane along different longitudinal lines, a support adjacent said means, said support having a longitudinal bore, a sharpened hollow tool loosely fitted in said bore, and projecting beyond the support, a screw engaging the rear end of the tool to hold same in position in the bore when cane is passing through said tool, and means for locking the screw in position.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

RICHMOND SMITH.

Witnesses:

SOMERVILLE GooDALL, EDWARD HUGHES.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Iatentg, Washington, D. G. 

